Microsoft's Lumia 640 and 640 XL: Budget Windows Phones with LTE

Microsoft has two new smartphones on display at Mobile World Congress 2015, each offering some compelling specs at competitive price points. The handsets follow the established Lumia design language while offering 720p displays, quad core processors and optional LTE.

The Lumia 640 is the smaller of the two devices with a 5-inch 720p display, which comes out to a very mid-ranged 294 pixels per inch (PPI). If you’re a phablet fan then you might prefer the 640 XL’s 5.7-inch panel, but with the same 720p resolution, you're looking at an even farther from the high end 259 PPI.

Both handsets run on quad core 1.2 GHz Snapdragon 400 processors, with Windows Phone 8.1 as the OS (with a promised upgrade to Windows 10 down the line). They’re both fitted with 1 GB RAM and 8 GB internal storage, alongside microSD card readers for expandability up to 128 GB.

The Lumia 640 XL’s extra screen real estate isn’t the only thing it has over its sibling, with the larger handset carrying a 13 MP rear camera with a Zeiss lens, while the 640 makes do with an 8 MP shooter. It’s a similar story when it comes to front-facing cameras, with the XL handset packing a 5 MP sensor to the smaller device’s 1 MP offering.

The handsets continue Windows Phone's trend towards the budget end, and while they might end up falling short of the second generation Moto E’s value, they could potentially be a good option for anyone in the market for a mid-range Windows Phone handset. Like Motorola’s budget offering, both new Lumia handsets will be available in LTE variants.

The Lumia 640 XL will be available globally later this month for a pre-tax price of €189 (US$212) for the 3G model, and €219 ($246) for the LTE variant. The Lumia 640 will ship in April for €139 ($156) for the 3G model and €159 ($179) for the LTE version of the handset. Those are all, of course, contract-free prices.